


Because You've Always Belonged

by auroreanrave



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Seduction, Belonging, Family Feels, Family Issues, Friends to Lovers, House Stark, Jealousy, M/M, Self Confidence Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2014-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-09 04:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroreanrave/pseuds/auroreanrave
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robb isn't stalking Sam. Really. It doesn't count if it's in his own house. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because You've Always Belonged

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cleromancy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleromancy/gifts).



> This is my first attempt at Robb/Sam fic as prompted by the wonderful cleromancy. Enjoy. :)

Robb isn't stalking Sam. Really.

He gets why it'd look like that though. It isn't even stalking, really, if it takes place in his own house. Sam lives with them in Winterfell, has done for just under a year now, ever since his family kicked him out and moved across the country, and he fits in so well with the rest of the family that he's a Stark in all but name.

Sam goes to every football game of Robb and Jon's, and Arya's karate tournaments, and helps Bran with his physical therapy and Rickon with his homework. He helps Catelyn, Robb's mom, with the housework and bakes at least a couple of times a week and has shadowed Robb's dad at work in the district attorney's office, helping out with paperwork. Hell, he's even improved Jon and Catelyn's shaky relationship - as if Catelyn is impresed with Jon for bringing a good person home. Even the dogs love Sam.

It wasn't until three months ago that Robb realised he'd fallen head over heels for Sam. Completely, _truly_.

It's not that the gay thing is an issue; when his mom and dad had caught Robb fooling around with Theon Greyjoy who used to live down the block, they had the Special Talk but had otherwise let it slide and are cool with it all. It's not even the worry that Sam might not be gay - Robb had innocently overheard Sam telling Jon about his then-boyfriend Grenn and had his suspicions all but confirmed.

And it's not even that Sam isn't Robb's type because he doesn't even have one. His only real sexual experience had been Theon - all dark eyes and cheeky, salacious grins and a firm arse - and then Theon had gone and broken his heart and was now somewhere in a van with that smirking Bolton boy who had fucked Theon in his bedroom for Robb to see. Plus Sam is hot - maybe in an unconventional, not-exactly-GQ kind of way, but still. He's hot, all warm eyes and soft skin and a backside Robb has maybe spent several restless nights imagining plundering in all sorts of unsavoury ways.

Robb has it _bad_. It's not even as if Sam is aloof or far away so that Robb can work this crush out logically. Sam is both perfect and living under the same roof as him. Sam always makes it to the football games and Robb can always pick him out in a heartbeat, yelling proudly and grinning, and it snaps through Robb like electricity through water, coursing to the heart of him. Sam watches action movies with Robb (and Jon and Arya but still) and always makes sure his favourite peanut butter cookies are ready for him on Thursdays when Robb has a soul-killing combo of double maths and physics in the afternoon.

"Oh come on, it's not _that_ hard - " Sam's voice sends Robb's head snapping up, a flush colouring his cheeks. It sounds wrong, so wrong, and the fact that it's just Jon and Sam in there could make Robb all manners of jealous. But then Robb hears the faint sound of gunfire and clicking, and realises they're playing on the XBox.

"It is. What if she says no?"

"She won't. Look, you're handsome, smart, funny - if Ygritte hasn't considered it already, then she's not the intelligent girl I think her to be."

Robb grins. Jon has girl trouble. Robb is so tempted to keep this as blackmail material - but then how would he justify overhearing it?

"Fine. How's _your_ love life?"

"Nonexistent. Not exactly blissfully, but you know."

"You're as bad as my brother. One breakup and you're sworn off cock for life."

"Excuse me, my break up was not bad. Grenn and I are still good friends. And Theon was very cruel to your poor brother; at least ours was mutually amicable." Robb flushes with a weird sort of pleasure at Sam defending his honour.

"Poor Robb. You two should start a 'Single and Gay and Dying Inside' club at school."

"Dying inside is an exaggeration, and at least Robb's the cutest guy in your family. Hell, in the school."

Jon's gasp of outrage is only undercut by the fact that Robb is reeling from the fact that Sam just called him cute. That is - _wow_. Sam likes him. Or at least thinks he's sexually attractive. Which is, you know, _awesome_.

"I am _absolutely_ the most attractive member of this family!" Jon's outrage turns to indignation as they keep on playing their video game. Robb sags back a little against the wall, before starting to retreat a little.

Sam likes him. He thinks he's attractive. And Robb wants nothing more than to seduce Sam, to treat him right and _love_ him like he deserves and -

He can make this work. Robb is a Stark after all.

But right now he has his Social Studies paper to work on for next week, and then dinner with the family, and then hanging out in the den, and then Robb will have time, when he goes upstairs, Grey Wind sleeping at the foot of his bed, to make a plan and think.

* * *

 

It's extraordinarily hard to get Sam on his own, Robb realises. They rarely have one-on-one time because usually Jon is there, or any of the others, but luck is on his side, for once, the following Saturday morning.

Robb is still smarting from the football game the night before - they'd lost 24-17 to Essos High and Robb hates losing. Still, he's got the weekend free and has no intention of stepping outside of the house for the next thirty-or-so-hours, padding down sleepily at eleven in the morning to find the house all but empty.

Robb hears some movement in the den and finds Sam, laptop on his knees, watching a re-run of _LOST_ on TV. Sam looks up and grins, eyes flicking down briefly to observe Robb in all his tee-shirt-and-boxered glory.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Everyone else is out." Robb knows. Sansa is out with her friend Jeyne at the mall, Arya has a morning of karate and archery practises with Catelyn on driving duty, Bran has his physical therapy group. and Rickon has his football.

"Where's Jon?"

"Out with your dad for camping supplies. Also Ghost has his check up at the vet's so they're going to be a while. Just you and me, I'm afraid."

"Don't be silly, some sane company in the house is gonna be nice." Robb grabs a bowl of cereal from the kitchen, with more sugar and milk than necessary, and flops down on the couch besides Sam. Close enough to feel his body heat.

"How are you feeling? About the game last night?"

"Physically I feel like a wreck. Emotionally... it sucked but we've done worse. Not much worse, but you know. I feel like I let them down."

"You were dealing with a good team on unfamiliar terrain. Lesser quarterbacks would have fallen to pieces. You were only a touchdown behind." Sam's hand goes to rest on Robb's shoulder.

Robb knows he's a perfectionist, but losing has never sat well with him. Still, Sam's hand feels impossibly good on his shoulder, squeezing a little, and some of the tension leaks out of him, like a sponge being wrung gently out of water.

"Hmmm. Feels good. Could have done with you last night."

Sam chuckles, placing his laptop onto the carpeted floor, and his other hand starts to massage the same spot on Robb's other shoulder, eliciting a whimper from Robb as Sam's strong hands begin to push and manhandle at Robb's shoulders. His body aches from the game and he'd woken up in pain and irritable from sleeping in, but now it feels fantastic, crunchy knots of tension and stress compressing and dissolving beneath Sam's fingertips.

Before Robb's aware of it, the cereal bowl is placed on the floor and Robb is all but leaning against Sam, eyes falling shut of their own accord. Sam's breath is warm against the nape of Robb's neck and Robb prays that he doesn't get hard doing this. Because nothing is more of a moodkiller than the massage receiver sporting a rather noticeable erection through the thin material of boxer shorts.

But that's not even an issue in the end because Robb finally finds himself falling asleep, but not before he feels the unmistakeable shape of Sam's own erect cock against the small of his back. Unfortunately he's unconscious by the time that registers.

Smooth move, Stark.

* * *

 

School leaves very little opportunity for Robb and Sam to actually talk much; they chat at lunch from time to time, but the only class they share - AP English Lit - has Ms Mordane in charge and she doesn't facilitate conversation that isn't about Shakespeare. Jon and Sam and their school friends Ygritte and Pyp and Grenn are often at the table with Sansa and Robb and Jeyne so it's a hive of talking and chatting and gossiping.

Robb keeps looking over at Sam, as inconspicuously as he can, because nothing says 'I kind of spent half the weekend jerking myself off to the memory of your cock against my back' than staring at the object of your affection. Either that or staring at the way he smiles when Jon tells a good joke or at the curve of his throat.

Somehow, Sansa finds out, because Sansa has a preternatural way of reading peoples' emotions and what they're really thinking. She catches his arm in the hallway on the way to their respective classes (Robb, history; Sansa, health).

"You're in love with Sam, aren't you?" Robb gapes at his sister, unassuming with her Kate Spade stationary and long auburn ponytail, and realises that she could take over the world. Or at least a country or two.

"I didn't - I just - _fine_." Robb admits, sagging against the wall. His life sucks at the moment.

"Well, have you told him?"

"Not yet."

"Just waiting for the right time?"

"Kind of? I just - "

"Need to find the right way to go about it. I understand. I suppose big declarations of love out in the rain aren't your way to do things?"

"Not really. I don't even know how to... you know, deal with the situation. I don't want things to get awkward." He doesn't. He doesn't want Jon to hate him for dating or falling for his best friend. He can't do that to Jon, even if it means stopping himself from pursuing Sam.

"So don't make it awkward. Be subtle, keep finding ways to spend time with him. He thinks you're cute, but he won't come out and say it." Sansa nods.

Robb nods as Sansa squeezes his arm and then walks away, looping her arm around Jeyne's as they move away.

 _Subtle_. Sure. He can do that.

* * *

 

Football practice is that afternoon and Robb can see Sam on the bleachers, sitting with Grenn and Sansa. The fact that Sam and Grenn are pressed side to side really shouldn't fill Robb with the kind of hot possessive jealousy that it does. But it does.

When they're in the middle of running an offensive play, Robb decides to strip his shirt off because even for October, it's obscenely warm and he's sweating. It has nothing to do with Sam in the bleachers. At all.

Robb knows his body is good - years of running and football and eating right have made he has a muscular physique  - and Robb feels a triumphant surge in his belly when Sam pauses in talking to Grenn to look over at Robb. And looks hard, mouth falling open a little, before he resumes his composure.

Robb grins to himself and resumes running plays. Still shirtless. Because he can.

* * *

 

Robb and Sam end up alone again on the next Wednesday night. Robb's managed to find a couple of excuses to wander around shirtless after a shower near Sam over the past few days - borrow a CD, ask about dinner, the usual.

It's kind of subterfuge and aside from stripping naked in Jon and Sam's room and actually straddling Sam, it's the most Robb can manage without giving away his plan of seduction. Still, he's not going to complain when Ned and Catelyn decide to take Bran and Rickon out for dinner due to Bran's progress in his physical therapy (he's now moved to heavy crutches instead of a wheelchair and everyone in the family is immeasurably proud) and Rickon for finally getting a B in his algebra. Sansa is at Jeyne's, Jon is busy on a date with Ygritte and Arya is at her friend Gendry's house for kickboxing and horror movies.

Robb orders pizza and he and Sam hang out on the couch watching old black and white movies on TCM. They've demolished the pizzas and are moving onto Sam's red velvet cake when Katherine Hepburn kisses Cary Grant and Sam _sighs_.

"I wouldn't mind having that, you know. It sounds daft, but..."

"But?"

"A big romance. You know." Sam shrugs, looking to the screen. Robb shifts a little closer on the couch. "What about you? Anyone in the wings?"

"Erm... not really. I mean. Yeah. There's someone. But they don't know about it. How I feel I mean."

"Why haven't you told them?"

"I'm worried, I guess. I mean, I think they like me, but he - well, I don't want to mess things up with him. He's _special_." Robb looks up from the remains of his meat lover's pizza to find Sam nodding and smiling a little too wide.

"That's nice. You should tell him. I'm sure he already knows."

Robb is about to speak when the front door bursts open and Ned and Catelyn enter, Rickon chattering nineteen to the dozen about the restaurant and Bran making proud, quiet footsteps inside.

In the chaos that follows, Sam quietly excuses himself and heads to bed, and Robb tries to hide his disappointment and frustration from his family when he remembers the half-sad look he saw in Sam's eyes.

* * *

 

Sam's stuff is gone from the room he and Jon share when everyone wakes up in the morning. Jon is panicked, worried, scared out of his mind, Sansa and Catelyn not far behind. Ned immediately begins to ring the police, face pale and frowning. The dogs are whining, disturbed, sensing something - or someone - is painfully amiss.

They split up about five minutes later, and Robb's heart is racing out of his chest because Sam means the world to all of them, but it feels like a sledgehammer to the heart that Sam might have run away because of him.

He grabs Sam's laptop and opens up his recent browser tabs - finding email, news, YouTube, and a Google Maps printout. For three states away.

Robb grabs his car keys and flies out the door.

* * *

 

Robb finds Sam at the bus depot, bag in hand and looking out across the concourse. Robb bolts across the pavement, not even bothering to lock his car or park it properly because Sam might run away again and it would break Robb. Would break all of them.

"Sam! What the _hell_ are you doing here? We've been worried sick." Robb is furious and elated and tired and broken but Sam just keeps sitting on the metal bench, shoulders hunched and face pale and silent.

"I don't want to ruin your family."

" _What?_ Christ, Sam, what are you - "

"I _like_ you. Okay? I... I really like you and after you told me that you had been in love with someone for a long time, it... I didn't want to be around to make a fool out of myself because sooner or later you would have found out and then it would have been awkward and I don't want to get kicked out of another family. I don't want to ruin another family."

Robb blinks. "You didn't ruin your family, Sam. They are complete fucking... _dicks_ for not seeing how awesome you are. Your dad's an antiquated fossil and a homophobe. He doesn't deserve you. And where were you gonna go? Back to them?"

Sam is quiet, eyes boring holes in the cheap linoleum. "Maybe? There are camps, they said, and I could try. You know. To be normal. I just..." Sam pauses. "I thought that if I left, I wouldn't be around for you to hate me and then I'd _have_ to leave and - "

Robb cuts Sam off by seizing him by the shoulders roughly because the thought of Sam leaving fucking _punches_ a hole through his chest. Sam is part of the family and if he were to go - to up and leave without saying a word for whatever stupid, idiotically loyal and caring reasons he has - it would kill them. Oh, they'd survive, but it'd always hurt and ache like a wound that would never truly heal. Christ, Robb knows Sam has low self-esteem from his shitty family and shitty childhood, but the idea of them kicking him out? Even if Robb hadn't been into Sam? It needs cutting out _right now_.

"Jesus Christ. That is _never_  happening, for a number of reasons. Firstly, we would find you and bring you back home. All of us. And you do _not_ wanna piss my mom off, she's terrifying when it involves someone she loves. Secondly, Jon would be heartbroken and I know deep down that hurting him is the last thing you wanna do. And thirdly," Robb wraps a palm around Sam's cheek, cradling and tilting, "the guy I've been talking about? It's you. It's _always_ been you."

And he kisses Sam. It's _perfect_ , even despite the circumstances and the location (Robb was planning a moonlight kiss under the stars, but that flew out the window), and Sam leans into the kiss, his bag sliding off his lap as Robb pulls him closer, searching out any patch of exposed skin to anchor himself to Sam, or Sam to him. Whatever makes Sam _stay._

"And before you say anything, I've been wanting to do that and more for a year now. I've waited _ages_ to do that."

"Me too." Sam smiles and the weight of the world visibly lifts off his shoulders. Robb kisses him again, just because he can.

"So... you coming home? Because otherwise I'm going to have to ring the others and let them know you're here and they'll drag you home, by force if necessary. And that's not really how I'd like to introduce you as my boyfriend. You know, if you want to - "

"Yes," Sam says, fingers entwining with Robb's, "I want. A _lot_."

* * *

 

Robb sends out a mass text so that everyone arrives at home around the same time. By the time Robb steps out of the car, a moment after Sam does, Sansa has her arms tight around Sam, tears in her eyes, Jon hugging them both, looking dangerously close to crying himself.

Seconds later, Catelyn is sweeping Sam into her arms with an embrace so tight it looks like she's at risk of cutting off Sam's oxygen supply. Ned is behind her, silently grabbing Sam into a fierce hug and ruffling his hair.

"If you _ever_ do that again, I swear I'll hunt you down myself, my lad." Catelyn says, angry and relieved all in one breath. Sam looks severely embarrassed, but manages to distract himself by hugging Rickon who's attached himself to Sam's legs. Bran looks relieved from the doorway, opening it fully so that the dogs - Grey Wind and Ghost and Lady and Summer and Nymeria and Shaggydog - all tumble out, sniffing and rolling around happily.

"You'll have to get in line." Jon says, wrapping a tight arm around Sam's waist as if he might try running away again right now.

"Why were you going?" Arya says, resolutely _not_ crying or showing any emotion but gripping onto the edge of Sam's hoodie like he might just try running away again.

"We'll explain." Robb says, leading Sam away into the house, the rest of them following, because they have a lot to talk about, Robb's fingers tight around Sam's.

* * *

 

Ned pulls some strings and gets them the day off school as a 'family emergency' (which to be fair it was) to the delight of all involved and Jon drags Sam upstairs to talk once he and Robb have explained their... situation? Evolved relationship? Whatever it is. Robb's happy regardless. _Hell, he's floating on cloud fucking nine._

Whatever it means, it still means that everyone has their turn with Sam - Arya just punches him in the leg and calls him an idiot and then hugs him, Bran does the same but with his crutch, and Catelyn forces him and Robb to sit down in the kitchen and have another Special Talk. New rules in the house, limitations on personal displays of affection, all that stuff. Both of them sit in silence for about half an hour before Catelyn finally smiles, hugs them both and makes Sam make a sachertorte as punishment for running away. Harsh but fair.

Finally he and Sam get to talk in Robb's room in the late afternoon - which Robb really wished he had tidied up ahead of time because there are books and old socks and plates _everywhere_ \- and soon discussion turns into making out which is awesome.

Like, _seriously awesome_. Robb pounces onto Sam and just slowly devastates him with his greedy mouth and his possessive hands and his needy body. It's easily the most fun he's had in bed - even with Theon's wicked tongue and sharp sexuality. Robb could spend the rest of his life just doing this with Sam. Hell, doing _anything_ with Sam.

They manage to get in a solid hour of under-the-shirt action, possessive dirty talk and making out before Ned bangs on the door and gruffly announces that it's dinner and they better be decent. If Robb didn't know better, he'd think his dad sounded amused. They arrive five minutes later in a much more appropriate state than they were before and blush into their food.

The next day, Robb and Jon are standing on the football field, gear on and adrenaline buzzing through their veins. The crowds have gathered, Sothoryos and Westeros High students alike ready for a hell of a game.

Robb can see his family in the stands. Sam catches his eye, a big scarf in the school colours around his neck. Robb grins. His life is awesome.

"You realise if you hurt him, I'll hurt you worse." Jon says in Robb's ear.

"I'm your _brother_!"

"Like I said." Jon grins, bumping Robb's fist against his own.

"Mind you," Robb says nonchalantly, taking his place on the field, "give it a couple of years and he might actually _be_ your brother in law. You'd be related through marriage and everything."

Jon's broad, escstatic grin of sheer joy is matched only by the one at the end of the game when they beat Sothoryos High 34-14, thoroughly wiping the floor with them.

* * *

 

At dinner after the game, they're at the best Italian in town, riding off the euphoria of a great game. Jon and Catelyn are laughing about something - which Robb wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it himself - Ned and Arya are talking, Sansa is helping Rickon cut up his lasagne into more manageable pieces and Bran is devouring his third portion of garlic bread and walking to the salad bar and back of his own volition to the delight of everyone.

Slightly aside from them, Robb and Sam watch the scene pleasantly, their hands entwined under the dining table, Robb resting a possessive, proprietary arm around the back of Sam’s chair. The first time they held hands it on the table, Arya made gagging noises and Sansa made ones like a squeaking little bird.

"Looks like this is a proper celebration then." Ned says, eyes on Robb and Sam. His father is not a man of words, but he speaks volumes.

"Like a rite of passage into becoming a Stark?" Sam offers, smiling. Robb thinks he loves him.

"Is that _even_ an issue?" Sansa smiles serenely, as if she's known this since the universe began. "You've always been a Stark."


End file.
